Mario might go back to an “open world” if the fans demand it

Speaking with Gamekult, Super Mario 3D World’s producer Yoshiaki Koizumi said that it’s difficult to develop an open world Mario title in the vein of Super Mario Sunshine that doesn’t leave players confused, wondering where to go and for this reason, Nintendo will only consider the idea if fans really demanded it.

Asked about why the company has abandoned the style, Koizumi said it was largely due to players not knowing where to go.

“I don’t know if we can consider Super Mario 64 as an open world game, but I think Super Mario Sunshine is more consistent with that definition because of the city and entire worlds to explore. Our main standpoint with Super Mario is to ensure that players always know where to go. It’s for this reason that we have given great importance on the placement and visibility of the flags, particularly in Super Mario 3D World.

“However, if a very large number of players expressed the desire for a more open Mario, we would take that request very seriously.”

In the interview, Koizumi also mentioned there were “no plans” for any DLC for Super Mario 3D World, perhaps indicating that The New Super Mario Bros’ Luigi Mode didn’t do terribly well for the company.